The Joker and the Thief
by audentia
Summary: Rikku is having some issues adjusting to world peace. Who knew? It's gonna take a lot of traveling and a lot of restlessness to get things sorted out. Meanwhile, Gippal is as stubborn as ever.
1. Prologue

**The Joker and the Thief**  
><strong>Prologue<strong>

So, this is my first attempt at following through with a story, any feedback is much appreciated. Feedback received determines if I will continue. I'm aware that much of this is very "colloquialized", however that was what I was going for. Opinions on whether it helps or hurts and how to improve on that aspect are welcome and encouraged.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"We made quite the couple," he joked, as though it didn't matter that I was gonna catch all kinds of hell from my friends as soon as Gippal was out of earshot, the likes of which the priests in Bevelle have never seen. Yuna'd be genuinely curious- Paine, genuinely...a meanie, she'd badger me just because she can.<p>

"Fryd yna oui cyoehk?" I said, frantically trying to salvage some dignity for a little damage control, but it was hopeless. Gippal completely ignored my embarrassment, and as I glared, he continued. I could have kicked him in the teeth! Hard! What the heck did that mean? "Rikku's always good for a laugh." I definitely was not in on the joke, but by the time I'd relearned how to talk, the conversation took a more serious tone, and despite being the youngest of our crew, I knew when to keep my mouth shut since we were talking about fiends pouring out of the temples and the impending doom of Spira, _again_, and how Yunie was going to have to stop it, _again_- well except for the fact that Gippal didn't want our help, but he was just a stupid boy who liked to play with machina, and of course by "play", I mean sell them and make a LOT of gil, but, as usual, I digress. Yuna knows about the temples and we know a thing or two about fiends. He'll ask for help. Hmph. Just because we grew up together doesn't mean the roles haven't switched. Yeah, he'll ask for help, alright. Insufferable ass. And we'll charge him extra. Lots extra. That'll show him.

"Well, there were fiends here too, right? Want us to clean up for you?" I knew better, but you know? I thought I'd be nice. Needless to say, I was ignored.

"Fiend hunting? What, you guys give up the sphere gig?" Ha! As if. Gippal has no concept of fun if he thinks that's the case.

"Temporarily. Right Now, we're helping people out. Maybe... you'd like to hire us?" Oh Yunie, don't look at him like that. So not worth going there.

"Nope."

See what I mean? So much for manners.

After The-Embodiment-of-Male-Pride went back into his temple, I wondered why we even showed up in the first place. "I watch my own back." So? What, did the Celsius get a signal so he could just show- oh never mind. With Gippal, the most illogical answer is usually the right one.

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><p>No wonder Paine never talked about her past. Surviving the Crimson Squad isn't exactly a walk through the Moonflow. That's a lot of personal trauma to have to go through. I can definitely see why she joined The Gullwings. You know, she's not as different from Yunie as she lets on. I guess she just wants her answers and closure too. That connects so many dots though. Like only<em> every<em> weird comment she's made the entire time we've been dealing with this Vegnagun debacle. Like saying that Baralai was stronger than he looked. What did that mean? And then, when we gave the (somewhat anti-climactic) awesome sphere to the Youth League and she told Yuna not to let Nooj push her around. It was so bizarre. I thought she was just being cautious, as usual. But it makes a lot more sense now. Looking back, her reaction to Gippal was priceless. I should have pretended not to know him too. I'm not gonna lie though, I have to hand it to Gippal. It takes a certain... something not to hold a grudge against the person who shot you in the chest. It was like he hadn't changed at all when we saw him that first time in Djose. Any difference I saw in him I attributed to not having seen him in over two years. But I'd never realized just how much he _had _changed- how he was _forced _to change. To watch Shuyin do what he did... that's gotta change a person. Looking back now, it made so much sense. He's gone through just as much as Paine had, and yet somehow still managed to have that nonchalant attitudehe's always had. But then, he's always taken things in stride. It's just strange, what can happen in two years. I would know, I suppose. Looking back it's funny to picture the trouble Gippal and I always got ourselves into when we were younger. But, I suppose we all have to grow up some time, whether it's by kidnapping your own cousin to save her life or being shot by one of your closest friends. And, even though I knew it wasn't him down there in the Den of Woe, it was surreal to have to take down his...memory. The same with Yunie and Paine too, of course, but there's just something about the memory of your childhood friend trying to kill you that can be a little unnerving.

Ugh. Why did I go on a tangent about him? As I was saying, we know about Paine's past, I didn't lose any more respect points, and despite having his lung capacity significantly reduced by a guy who walks with a cane, Gippal's still as boneheaded as ever. Also, lots of pyreflies in a cave is not natural.

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><p>Geez, this thing really <em>is <em>a colossus. I shouldn't be surprised, after seeing the ginormous hole it left in Bevelle, but _still_! Who has the time or the motivation to build a machina like that? I mean really, no wonder Sin came along if there were things like that being used a thousand years ago. This is just another reason for me not to visit the Farplane any time soon. It's creepy enough without Shuyin and his pet weapon going crazy down there. Leave it to Gippal to go down there, guns blazing, just to get his butt kicked. Not like I was worried about him or anything. Seriously.

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><p>I'm so restless these days. It's like time goes by in slow motion while my mind races at full speed. I don't what to do with myself. I'm beginning to get on my own nerves. The reconstruction of Home is coming along pretty smoothly and I've been trying to occupy myself as much as I can with that, but the problem is exactly that: there are no problems. I feel like I can't be content when things are going right, of course, not that I <em>want<em> problems just for the sake of staying occupied, it's just that I feel so out of place now, like I've seen and done too much to be here for too long at a time. I mean, come on! What I just said was all one sentence. That's how my thought process has been over and over again for months now. Same thoughts, same speed. But don't get me wrong. I don't mean to sound like I'm unhappy. It's really not that at all. Yunie and Tidus are spending some much deserved time together, Paine isn't even the same person who originally joined the Gullwings thanks to Baralai, and the safety of the world is not in question. So, I'm anything but unhappy. I dunno, maybe unfulfilled is the right word? I just feel like my life is stuck on pause and that I have all this potential and all this time and nowhere to spend it. Things are too easy right now to be getting stressed but I just can't help it! I seriously _need_ a hobby, or a change of scenery.


	2. Brother: Pilot of Destiny

**The Joker and the Thief**

**Chapter 2**

*****TRANSLATIONS*****

**nayto= ready**

**oayr= yeah**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>I'm doing it. I'm going to Luca, or at least that's where I'm starting. I'm packed and ready to go. I've finally had enough of watching time go by without any sense of purpose, and I'm starting to get really damn bored. I talked it all over with Vydran and he gave me the go ahead pretty enthusiastically because I think he could tell something wasn't quite right. I'm a terrible liar, and I guess it showed.<p>

I give my room a final lookover to make sure I'm not forgetting anything I'll need.

"You 'bout ready, darlin'?" Pops asks me from the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah. Just about," I say. I've planned to travel light. I've got some clothes, a few toiletries and a CommSphere packed nice and neat into one bag. I don't need much. I sling it over my shoulder as I give Pops a hug. He pats my back.

"Buy me somethin' nice in Luca," is obviously his way of saying "I love you, I'll miss you, stay safe and in touch." He's not one for goodbyes, and I can't fault him for it because I'm not either. I have no idea how long I'll be gone. It could be anywhere from a month or two to a year or two. I'm so scared, but I'm so excited. I have to find myself out there. Oh man, that sounds so silly doesn't it? Yeah, it does, don't answer that. I know how cliché it sounds, but it's the truth. Last year, I did everything I could to make sure Yuna found _her_self, and I'm so happy that she did. Does it sound like I'm rationalizing things? Maybe I just feel guilty about leaving Home, but it's not like there's anything to do here that requires me. Gosh, I really gotta get over this. Traveling the world's going to be a drag if I don't lighten up!

Brother is the one flying me to Luca, so I'm really [not] pumped about facing the puppy-dog eyes he's going to give me when I leave, or rather when _he _leaves. He and I are going to watch the Psyches play when we get there. He's staying the night in my hotel room tonight and then flying back in the morning. It's not long, but it's a rough trip to make twice in a day, especially with the winds as rough as they are this time of year.

I step aboard the Alpha for the first time since a crew dug it up out west a couple of months ago. It's a small four-seater, and now that it's part of our "fleet", it makes trips to the rest of Spira a lot more convenient and tons more efficient. We've been calling it the Alpha because there's been talk of other small airships like these and the possibility of even building them. It's been Brother's baby for weeks. Since it was deemed air-ready, he's been itching to get it airborne. It's a win-win situation for the both of us, I guess. He's already in the pilot's seat. I stuff my bag in to an overhead compartment of sorts and sit next to him. He's practically buzzing with excitement.

"Nayto?" He exclaims.

"Oayr!" I shout back with a smile. He then proceeds to make weird growling noise as he starts the engine. Typical. As we take to the air and I begin to see less sand below me and more sky above me, I feel like a weight has lifted off me. Everything is possible and the world is my oyster. Come to think of it, I never really understood what that meant. Why have the oyster when you could just have the pearl? Whatever. It doesn't matter because they're both mine now.

We are silent for a good half hour before Brother asks me why I'm leaving in the first place, and it's just the best I can do to tell him that I need a vacation. He doesn't understand because we've been home from saving the world for about six months now. This time at Home _has_ been a vacation for him. Vacation is the best I can come up with though, but since he needs further explanation, I elaborate. I tell him that I finally want to see Spira and explore the world on my own time totally stress free, and that's enough to sate his curiosity for now.

Another half hour later, and the stadium is a glint in the distance, and it won't be long now until we're back on solid ground.

"You think the Psyches are gonna win? Things haven't been looking to great this season," I ask. As the glint gets bigger, I am surprisingly excited about watching the game. Brother makes a face between worry and a bad smell.

"They will be CREAMED!" he sobs, and although I agree, I become concerned with his lack of attention to the sky in front of him.

"I know," I say. "It's going to be a super easy win for the Fangs." Brother's eyes are now back on target as he grumbles in agreement.

I can't wait to stretch my legs once we land. It's not like we've been in the air for too long, but being cooped up is being cooped up, whether it's in your own home or in a vehicle, and I have had _plenty_ of that lately.

"We are here!" Brother announces. It's not like I'd dozed off. We were just talking like, two minutes ago. I nod my head dramatically.

As he prepares to land the ship in the harbor, bystanders look on, totally mesmerized. Brother deploys the floats and we make a soft landing. You don't see something like this ship every day. It is a neat little thing and Brother will be the first one to defend it.

Once we're sure the ship's stable, I grab my bag out of the overhead compartment. I step out first, and brother comes out behind me so that he can lock the thing up properly. He may seem crazy, but I know he knows what he's doing. My feet touch the ground and it's instantly humming with potential and adventure.

"Where to first?" Brother slings his arm around my shoulders and I throw mine around his waist.

"Rin's!" I say with satisfaction. I dropped Rin a line about week ago and told him what I was up to: self-exploration and all of that. He's really the only one I've been so open with about my "confinement" issues. I told Pops I was leaving to do some exploring and sightseeing, but he didn't ask questions and I didn't offer up motives. He can be so brash sometimes; I just didn't feel like going through the trouble of defending my decisions.

I sure told Rin though. He knows that I'm trying to forge my own path and grow as a person. He's always been like an uncle, but more importantly, a friend, especially in the past month or so. Maybe it was easy enough to tell him because he's done what I'm going to do. He's been everywhere and turned his passion for travel into a lucrative business. Maybe it's because he'd seen me numerous times through the past few years with Yunie and saw how much I liked to see new things.

Anyway, after I spoke with him, he told me I could stay for free at his new agency in Luca. He really fell in love with the city after he got into Sphere Break, so he left his mark on the place. I'm not one to turn down anything free, so I happily accepted the offer.

"Riiiiiin!" Brother screeched. He startled at least two people.

I flag down a hover and direct the pilot to Rin's, and we speed off. Brother is hanging off the side with his tongue out like a dog. I'm just trying to keep from eating all my hair. You think hovers are fast when they almost run you down, and then you realize you don't know speed until you've actually ridden one. We get to Rin's in about five minutes. I thank the pilot and pay him, and he speeds off. I don't expect Rin to be here so I give the clerk my name and she gives me the key to my room, and I thank her. Brother follows me to the room, and I'm surprised at how large it is. I put my bag down and toss brother a pillow from the bed to use. He puts it on the couch that's in the room. He looks around while I regroup. I make sure to pick up our tickets for the game and some extra gil. I grab my room key and ask him if he's ready to go out to lunch. He assures me that he is with a look that says he hasn't eaten in a week, which is obviously a lie. I laugh as I close the door behind us. We walk the streets of Luca in search of all things yummy. We decide on a café called The Nautilus, and as this is a seafood restaurant, the experience is not complete without an octopus mime from Brother as we are seated. He orders calamari (octopus on the brain, I suppose) and I order sashimi. It's really good and so I make a mental note to come back here at some point during my stay. I give Brother a stern look every time he starts to get a little too playful with the tentacles on his plate. I guess some things will never change, but I'm okay with that, because I know I have a lot of change coming my way as it is, and whether it's on a plate or not, I just hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew out here on my own.

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><p><em>Thoughts? This one wasn't that dialogue-heavy, but I wanted to build up some plot and backstory. What do you guys think of this in present tense? Does it work? Rate and review, please and thanks.<em>


	3. Is That a Hover in Your Pants?

**The Joker and the Thief**

**Chapter 3**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Any time that I can share a meal in public with my brother without cause for concerned stares and stain removers, I consider it pretty successful. Considering we ate lunch at a place that serves <em>anything<em> with tentaclesand _anything_ with dipping sauce, lunch today fell into the (narrowly) successful category.

Blitz starts in little over an hour though so Brother and I decide to leave the Nautilus. The stadium is pretty close, of course we have to walk all the way out past the harbor, but we can only get there by foot anyway, so it doesn't really matter. It towers over everything else in sight. I'm surprised by its size every time I see it. Naturally I have that appreciation for the nuts and bolts of the thing that only we Al Bhed have, and I know Pops would just absolutely love a tour of all the inner workings of it.

By the time we've walked to the stadium, there isn't much of a line outside because there's about a bazillion turnstiles. Luca knows what's up in the name of efficiency, clearly. We walk in to discover that finding seats in the place is going to be a whole nother story. We spot two seats up in the nosebleeds. I begin speeding up the steps to get to them in time.

"WAITS! Wait for meeee!" Brother quickly stumbles up the steps trying to keep up, but I ignore him because I know he'll catch up. We successfully claim the seats shortly before kickoff.

I knew this game was going to be disasteriffic. Brother whines next to me. He's slumped in his seat with his head in his hand.

"Why! Whywhywhywhy!" I make a face at him. My thoughts exactly.

After our gut-wrenching loss, we get hot dogs at the concession stand to help us eat our emotions.

"There will be other games, yes?" says Brother with his mouth full. I nod my head because I too, am stuffing my face. As we're leaving the stadium, I notice the tiny souvenir stand by the exit. I smile to myself as I buy Pops a tiny working replica of the stadium on our way out. We walk back to Rin's in silence. We're totally pooped. I need sleep. Brother needs sleep, since he's flying back in the morning. We get back to Rin's and immediately collapse in our respective beds.

Have you ever been woken up because someone was staring at you? Brother scares me to death sometimes. Especially when he tries to wake someone up. He tells me he's leaving and the last thing I remember was telling him to be safe, before I slipped back off to sleep.

Well, day one of soul searching has not been productive since I slept until 3 in the afternoon. That has put a bit of a damper on my mood. I never used to sleep in at home, and I'm really surprised I did here, of all places. Whatever, I have exploring to do. Before I get out of bed, I take the time to appreciate the suite I'm in. Rin's outdone himself. Everything in here is black and white and modern, but somehow still very homey…like the chocobo down pillows and comforter. Obviously, I know that he doesn't have any design sense, but I know this place probably cost him a quite a bit to get going. Surely he's raking in profits though, his travel agencies are pretty well known all over, and this is a huge metropolis. Anyway, it really is a beautiful room. Nothing like his other places that were all function and no form. I stretch as hard as I can before I push off the covers and dig my toes into the soft ivory carpet. First thing's first, I need to find a hover that I can rent or buy. I've made two trips all around Spira on foot, and I don't plan to do it again. I just don't know where to look for a hover for sale.

Let's pause. I know what you're thinking: "Plot hole! Where did money for a vehicle come from all of a sudden? It's not like she's living there forever!" And I'll have you know, that it is most certainly _not_ a plot hole. What do you think this is? Fan fiction or something? Jeeze. We're talking about my life, here. And believe me, it's worth the price no matter what, after having done without for so long. Anyway, about the money, first things first. I have two main sources of income. One was with the Gullwings. Any loot we found was split 3 ways, and I'm a pretty good saver. Secondly, I made money in one of the digging crews, just like everyone else. Those are the two main ways. Pops has also been known to spoil his only daughter from time to time, and my 18th birthday was no exception especially because he knew I was leaving, he wanted me to make sure I was well taken care of on my trip. Now, let's resume, shall we?

I walk to the front desk and ask the clerk where the nearest hover dealership was, and she directed me to it pretty easily. I'm really glad Rin's is on the main drag because everything so far has been within walking distance. I don't really need anything fancy, just something to get me from place to place. I get there in about 10 minutes, enjoying the sights and the weather. Once I get there, I see that there's a pretty big selection to choose from, but I walk into the dealership itself.

"Hi, may I help you?" Says the woman at the front desk. She looks sort of like Yuna and she's _definitely _half Al Bhed. I hope she knows what she's doing.

"Hi, yeah, I'm looking into buying a hover!" I say, excited.

"Great! Do you have any idea of what you're looking for?"

"I just need something durable. It doesn't need to be pretty." Her eyes sparkle.

"We've got just the thing."

She leads me to a very sturdy looking, yet very compact hover with a black exterior and a yellow motor.

"That's badass." I say. The woman nods her head. "How much?"

"6500."

"6000."

"6450"

"6300"

"Deal." I say. Haggling's just a formality. She takes me back into the dealership where I pay, sign the papers, and she gives me the keys. I drive the hover that is yet to be named back to Rin's. I'm not leaving Luca just yet, and I don't need it everywhere I go.

I wanna do stuff, but I don't really know what there is to do around here. I mean, I could just walk around aimlessly, but what's the point in that? I've been here a couple of times, sure, but that doesn't account for much. Luca's a really big place with a lot of quirks, and I just don't know where to start. Ha! I could just stay here in my room and _explore_ the room service. When in doubt, always go for a burger that costs twice what it's worth. Ugh. I really might do it. It's almost too late in the day to do too much else. I'm so pissed I slept all day! Who does that? I could call Yuna. I haven't talked to her since I left. I get the CommSphere out of my bag and put it on my bed. I situate myself in front of it and mess with the dials and buttons.

"Hey-eyyy." I say, smiling.

"Rikku! How are you?" she asks me.

"I'm okay, I made it to Luca, as you can probably see." I motion around me to my room. "How's the simple life?" She laughs.

"Perfect as ever. Wakka and Tidus have been training pretty hard all week. Actually that's what they're doing now." I nod my head. "So what have you gotten into since you've been in Luca?"

"Not much yet. Believe it or not -actually I'll have to get up and show you," I say getting up and grabbing the CommSphere, "This is _Rin_'_s_ new place. Can you believe this?" I turn the commsphere where she can see the rest of the room, from the cozy sitting area to the panoramic window and balcony.

"Whoa!"

"I _know_! Don't even get me started on the bathroom!" I walk to the bathroom and open the door. Theres a large tub with claw feet and the walls are made of stone. There's a huge basin sink and plenty of counterspace. The bathroom alone is pretty much the size of an entire room alone at any of Rin's other places.

"This place is huge!" Yuna says, shocked.

"It really is, and I don't know if this is like a penthouse suite or if this is all standard. The best part is, I'm staying here f-r-e-e."

"Seriously!"

"Seriously. Yeah, I told Rin I was going to be doing some traveling, and that was the end of it. He told me when I got here I could stay for free, but he didn't make it sound like it'd be anything like this."

"Wow."

"Yeah, but what else? Oh! Yeah, Brother and I went to watch the Psyches play, that was a disaster, as I'm sure you know."

"Yeah, Wakka wouldn't shut up about it."

"Ha! I always thought that was so ironic, he hated us for so long, but now, he loves our team, he's so weird." I laugh. I know he means well.

"I know. Funny how that works. Done any other sight seeing?"

"Nah, not really. I actually bought a hover today though. I can't be bothered constantly renting. Other than that, I don't really know what else to do here. I know there's plenty of shopping, but I feel like that undermines my soul searching theme, ya know?" Yuna giggles.

"No rules against style searching," she says with a clever smile.

"That's very true." I nod my head.

"You could go to the beach. Not like you need a better tan." I stick my tongue out at her. She laughs. "Or you could go to the sphere theater."

"Ooh, that's a thought." I say. "I wouldn't mind going to the beach either, I mean, I'm around plenty of sand as it is, but it'd be nice to at least have the option of being near water." Yuna nods her head matter-of-factly. "Soooooo," I say. Yuna starts to purse her lips.

"'Sooooo' what?"

"How're _things_?"

"Fine," She says. Ugh. Gotta spell it out. I stare at her for a second. She tries not to smile.

"But how's your love life?" I whine, and Yuna's satisfaction is evident.

"It's great," She says enthusiastically.

"Glad to hear it! Where are you guys staying?"

"You know those weavers that lived next to Wakka and Lulu?" I nod my head.

"They actually moved to Luca to work and sell their stuff. You should see if you can find them. Anyway, we're living where they were."

"Oh! Neat. How is the happy family, anyway?"

"Oh my gosh. Vidina's a mess. Wakka's just as bad, Lulu's trying to hold it all together."

"Sounds about right. But that's good though. How's Tidus readjusting to existence?"

"Pretty well. I do think it helps that Wakka's around. I mean, he's got me, but Wakka was the first person, other than you, to take him in, so I think we made the right decision staying here."

"Seems to be. Heard from Paine recently?" Yuna makes a face.

"No. I think the last time was about a month and a half ago. She's still doing well. She was still in Bevelle last time I talked to her. You should try and get in touch with her while you're out there."

"Yeah I haven't talked to her any more recently than that either. But I still might visit her." I giggle. "I don't know if she'd hug me or kill me for showing up!"

"Aww, I'm sure she'd hug you…but probably insult you at the same time." Yuna laughs.

"It's so true!" Yuna chuckles.

"Well I gotta go, we're going over to Lulu's for dinner in a bit and I gotta take care of Vidina while she cooks."

"Aw. Give Vidina my kisses!" I say. That baby is too stinkin' cute. "I'll try and come see you guys before too long. But don't tell anyone, promise?"

"Promise!" We're little girls again. I love these moments.

"Bye!"

"Bye, Rikku."

The screen goes blank and I look out the window. The sun is starting to set. It's not really that late but the time of day is always magnified when its set against the ocean. I feel so weird, being by myself, without any real responsibilities. Its so different from what I'm used to. Maybe soon, I'll convince Paine to go clubbing here with me. As far as I can guess, that'd go over like a lead balloon, but then again, she always surprises me. She's probably a classically trained ballerina. With her, you never know. I mean she was in the Crimson Squad with Gippal. Who knew? We wouldn't have if she hadn't told us.

Gippal. There's a name. Haven't thought about him in months. Which is totally fine, believe me. I wonder though, at this very moment, from a scale of one to ten, how much of a dick he's being to someone right now. My guess is at least a solid 6. He's never lower than a 4, at least not to me. Meanie. I rub my hands over my face.

That claw-footed bathtub is calling my name. So are these pillows. I better rest up if I'm gonna spend all my energy falling asleep on the beach tomorrow. I stand up and walk back into the bathroom, and shut the door behind me. Honestly, I'm pretty excited about using these towels because they feel ah-mazing. I turn the water on and stop the drain once it's hot enough. I step out of my clothes and into the water once the tub is full enough. I lean back and close my eyes and just relax for a bit. This is so nice. Peace and quiet, no sand anywhere, no Brother, (I love him, but I gotta take him in doses), just warm water and _quiet_.

So much quiet that 15 minutes later, I realize I dozed off. Awesome. Water's cold now. I wash up anyway and drain the tub. I step out and am grateful for the towels and the robe. I brush my teeth and walk back into my room. I smile because it's dark out now. The stadium is like a beacon through my window. I dig around in my bag for some jammies and put them on. Since I've had a head start, it doesn't take me long until I'm asleep again.

Tomorrow will be better, because I'll have one, because I'll wake up on time. Really.

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><p><strong>I know things seem sort of choppy right now, but things will start to even out soon enough. Promise! Rate and Review, pretty please<strong>


	4. Talking to Myself? No, Don't be Weird

**The Joker and the Thief**

**Chapter 4- In which we explore Rikku's possible schizophrenia. (But not really)**

Thanks for those of you who have reviewed/subscribed/favorited. :D

That's you, **hapiflower, RaquellaRose, reina-jo (Ahh! And someone else whose penname I forgot! Sowwy)**

Note: this sex tip _really_ is from Cosmo. Dat shit cray…

Also, I'm making a tiny FFVII reference because I know they sure as hell don't use gasoline in their hovers in Spira, so it's gotta be Mako, right?

Sorry this chapter took so long to get out.

**Enjoy!**

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><p>10 a.m., bright and early, but not too bright and early because I'm on vacation. I dismiss the CommSphere's alarm with a yawn and a stretch. I can't be bothered to move my arm from my face where it falls. This bed is probably the best thing I've ever experienced in my life. I'm probably going to take it to the beach with me, and just lay out on that instead of a towel.<p>

"Unggggh" I groan aloud when I realize that this is impossible and that I'm still in that weird half awake half still asleep limbo. The bright morning sun and happy seagulls convince me to roll out of bed. I pad across the suite to the balcony and step outside for some fresh ocean air. I breathe it in and sigh, and realize that at this very moment, I am exactly where I need to be, and that makes me so happy. I know I'm doing the right thing by being here. I close my eyes and feel the wind again before stepping back inside. I change into a blue bikini and throw on some shorts and a slouchy tee before grabbing the CommSphere, a towel, shades, my wallet, and a magazine and putting them into a bag. I grab the room key and head out into the hall. I walk out of Rin's and head towards the beach. I can hear the roar of the waves getting closer. The landscape opens up and there are no buldings, only the sky, the water and the sand. It reminds me of when I was little and Pops would take me, Brother and Gippal all the way across the desert, away from Home. He'd pile us onto one of the big hovers and we'd play in the ocean all day long. He never got us lost once. It was never easier for Mom to get me to sleep at night than those times.

Looking back, I never used to wonder why Pops treated Gippal the way he did, like he was another son. It wasn't until I was much older that I found out that Gippal's parents found it hard to get along…ever. Nothing so serious a divorce during their son's awkward teen years couldn't fix, but still, I'm sure it was rough. Pops did what he could to shelter him.

Not that I can blame him, but honestly, that's probably why Gippal's a host of walking complexes now.

Right. Back to the present: towel, sand, horizontal. Three easy steps, and I'll be back to tan in no time. I pull my magazine out of my bag as I situate myself on my stomach. I take a minute to observe my surroundings: plenty of kids, naturally. There are too many sandcastles to count! It makes me want to join them, but that'd just be silly, and I'm anything but silly, clearly. Not too far a way, a little further down the beach, some guys have set up a game of beach blitz. They're mighty fine and one of them glances at me and smiles but thankfully that's all that happens. I definitely don't mind male attention, but there's a time and a place for everything. I have neither the time nor a place for a guy in my life right now. Even if I did, he'd have to be really something. But for now, this is my journey, and my journey only.

I've finsished flipping through my magazine. Not like I really paid attention, just a bunch of useless sex tips anyway. "Sprinkle pepper under his nose before he climaxes?" What? I can't even – Oh, I be that guy that smiled at me would like it. I bet he's a freak. I also bet I'm gonna have a weird mental movie playing in my head for the rest of the day. I guess it comes with the territory of an overactive imagination.

I roll over on to my back and put my shirt over my face. It's almost noon, so the sun is doing everything it can to peek under my eyelids. My thoughts begin to wander, and it's only a matter of time before my thoughts become an entire monologue. Sometimes it turns into a dialogue, but I pretend it doesn't worry me.

When are Yunie and Tidus gonna get married? I thought he would have proposed as soon as they saw each other.

Why is it so hot?

I wonder what Brother's doing.

I wonder if he's broken anything today.

Is Vidina walking yet? Is it too soon to worry if he isn't?

I wonder if Paine's screwing Baralai's brains out.

Why? Why would I possibly wonder something like that.

Morbid curiosity, she's such a prude. She makes me giggle.

Why is it so fucking hot?

I wonder how Leblanc is. She's really not so bad. Maybe she's doing really-not-so-bad things with Nooj. They were definitely made for each other.

I wonder what Gippal's doing. Actually, no I don't. He's being an ass, no matter what he's doing.

I have thought of him twice today already. That's two times too many.

I'm done for the day. It's too damn hot out here.

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><p>I get back to Rin's right as storm clouds roll in. Perfect timing. I decide to get in a shower to get all the sand off of me, before putting on some comfy clothes and curling up in my bed with the notebook and pen I've brought with me. Most of this notebook is empty, but what isn't, is my half- assed itinerary. I open it up to the first page.<p>

I want to go see Paine tomorrow, which means a lot of backpedaling if I want to see everything later, but I think it'll work out if I play my cards right. This means I leave early tomorrow, catch the Shoopuff across the Moonflow, and make it to Bevelle around dinnertime. Paine better be a good hostess. I'll be exhausted tomorrow, so I should probably call her to make sure tomorrow's okay. She's expecting me in the near future, but I told her I'd let her know once I knew what I wanted to do. Maybe I can get a few respect points while I'm there. We could always use a few more, right? I lean over to the nightstand and dig around in my bag for the CommSphere. I turn it on and type in Paine's coordinates. The static fades into clarity and her lovely face comes into view.

"Howdy!" I exclaim.

"Rikku. How are you?" She's trying not to smile. I know she loves me, it's totally written all over her face.

"I'm great! How are you?"

"Same as usual. I don't suppose you're coming to visit me soon are you? I see you're not at home." I giggle at the subtle mention of my new freedom.

"I'm in Luca at the moment, and you bet I'm coming to visit; tomorrow…if I can?" I ask hopefully. She stops to think for a second.

"Yeah, that should be fine."

"Great! I'll probably be there a little after dark." I say. I'm pretty excited. I feel like I haven't seen her in forever, and in all honesty, it _has_ been a while. She smiles softly again.

"Looking forward to it. Just keep me posted on the time. We'll figure out something fun to do when you get here." My imagination floats back to the weird idea of us going clubbing.

"Sounds fantastic! Can't wait."

"Me neither. Bye, Rikku." Paine ends the transmission before I have a change to say "bye". Oh well, I'll get over it. I'll be seeing her soon enough.

* * *

><p>"What can I do for you?" the alarm on the CommSphere asks me. As much as we all hated to admit it, Leblanc really could market a catchy single.<p>

"You can shut the fuck up," I mumble into my pillow as I dismiss the alarm. What has been my deal these last few days? It's like I can't stay awake. Must be sensory overload. Last thing I remember is finishing my call with Paine. I guess the rain and the wind put me to sleep. I can't complain though, at least I'll be well rested for today. Oh, that reminds me, I get to ride my new hover today. I'm too pumped! My excitement propels me into gear and I brush my teeth and wash my face quickly. I put my hair back up, but I don't put the braids back in. They'll just get in the way today. I dig around in my bag and find my good ol' green shorts. I've had these things since Yunie's pilgrimage. You know why? Because they're damn comfortable when you're traveling. I pull them on, along with a tank top and a light jacket. I'm so not in the mood for windburn. I make sure I have my essentials, but I'm leaving my beach stuff. Since I'm staying here for free. Rin pretty much told me I could use this place for as long as I needed, just as long as I didn't totally move in. Basically, I could treat it as an extended stay situation, which he doesn't typically offer in his agencies, but when you're the favorite niece he never had, you get special privileges. I probably do owe him my firstborn though. It's probably written down somewhere.

With my bag over my shoulder, I head out of the agency into the parking lot, but not before I return my room key to the clerk for safekeeping. I'm only doing that so I don't loose the freaking thing while I'm gone. I head out to the parking lot. There sits my new baby. Oh man, Pops would definitely be proud. I'll have to call him soon and show it to him. Still, I'm not gonna fully appreciate it just standing here looking at it. I pull that key out of my pocket and throw the rest of my things in the compartment under the seat. I start the engine and quickly realize that I'll be deaf by the time I get to Paine's. It'll be totally worth it though. I know I'll love every minute of it.

"Hello, Spira," I say out loud, shamelessly. "Rikku coming through!"

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><p>Like I said, sorry this one took so long. I got writers blocked, because I wanted to start the chapter a certain way, but couldn't figure out how I wanted to do it, so I had to convince myself that it was okay to stray from the original plan. I think it turned out much batter this way anyway. Tell me what you think! :D<p> 


	5. Pizza Fixes Everything

**The Joker and the Thief**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>I start the engine and quickly realize that I'll be deaf by the time I get to Paine's. It'll be totally worth it though. I know I'll love every minute of it. <em>

_Hello, Spira. Rikku coming through!_

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><p>I get my hover to Mi'ihen with a narrow margin of success. Have you seen those stairs? Seriously. Once the trail becomes a little easier to travel, things begin to go as planned. I take my time on the Highroad, and enjoy the scenery. Someone has established a chocobo ranch on the highroad, and it just so happens that it's hatching season. There are more fluffy chickies than I can count!<p>

I pass that and look over to my left to see the old ruins in the ocean. They always catch my attention when I see them. They look…like they're waiting on something. Or someone. I can't ever decide. They just look so lonely and majestic at the same time. I never realized how long this road is. I ride over the ravine and what's left of the old road. I see Rin's place out in the distance, and the mountains beyond that. There aren't many hovers on the road today, but it isn't really peak travel season either, so I'm not really all that surprised.

I pass Rin's eventually and once I get to Mushroom Rock, I stop to update Paine.

"Yes?"

"Hey Paine! Um. Just got to Mushroom Rock," I say, looking out over the water. "I should be able to ride the shoopuf pretty soon."

"That sounds fine. It was raining here earlier, and it looks like it's headed your way. Be careful."

"Will do! See ya soon." I turn off the CommSphere and get resituated to get back on the move. I start my engine and leave Mushroom Rock Road in the dust. Before I know it I'm passing Djose. Not many people hanging around outside, guess the slavemaster's got his grip on the whip today. Leaving that behind, I get to the Moonflow. I really hate to just rip through here on a hover, but what else am I supposed to do? I can't just leave it, especially around here. Gippal's guys would have this thing scrapped and chopped before you could say "Al Bhed scum!"

I do slow down though, for the noise and for the consideration of everyone around me. The storm clouds are getting closer. Paine wasn't kidding. I make it to the Shoopuf. I park my hover and see that other people just standing around.

"I'm sorry, Missh. Ze shoopuf ish closed today." Wow. Really? I've only ever needed to ride a shoopuf three times, and fourth time, I'm screwed? Of all the luck.

"Um, sorry. Closed?" How the hell do you "close" a laboring creature?

"Ze Shoopuf stepped on submerged ruins, Missh." I look over at the beast. Sure enough he's (she's? It's?) got a bandage on its foot all the way up to the ankle. Poor thing. Shoopufs look so sad to begin with, without getting their toesies all hurt.

"When will he be, er, _open _again?"

"Hopefullily tomorrow." That puts me behind of course, but it's just a drop in the ocean. I just hope it doesn't inconvenience Paine too much.

"Okay," I say. "I guess I'll be back then." I walk back to my hover to call Paine again. I hear thunder in the distance.

"Calling again so soon? What's up?"

"Paine!" I wail, "The shoopuf hurt his footie, look!" I point the CommSphere at the wounded animal.

"Poor thing. Why are you telling me this?"

"Um, hello? He can't cross the Moonflow. I'm stranded until tomorrow!"

"Oh! Right. What are you going to do in the meantime?" I haven't even gotten that far, and so I said as much.

"I haven't even gotten that far." I frown. Paine raise her eyebrows.

"You're going to have to find somewhere to stay before that weather hits."

"It's pretty close as it is." Then it hit me. My closest option was Djose. Dammit! I shrug in defeat.

"I'm gonna have to go back to Djose and see if Gippal has a…closet or something." I shake my head. I do not want to have to do this, but I don't have a choice.

"Sounds like it, Rikku. Bummer." She says sarcastically. She knows where I stand on Gippal: preferably his windpipe. The thunder is getting closer.

"I hate you. Alright, I really gotta go, The bottom's about to fall out over here. I'll talk to you soon."

"Can't wait to hear all about it." She chuckles.

"I bet. Bye!" I quickly get my things back together and race back to Djose. I park in the courtyard out front of the temple, grab my bag and run to the shelter of the threshold right as it starts to pour. There's no guard outside today, and I don't know if it's because there's no security risk anymore or because it's raining. Regardless, I pound on the door. Much to my surprise, Gippal himself peeks out from the door. He looks at me like I'm from another planet. The feeling is mutual, but I have to put on a neutral face, nonetheless.

"Cid's girl?" I cringe. "What are you doin' here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Gippal? I'm standing in the freakin' rain, waiting on you to let me in." He opens the door fully, without a word, and lets me in.

"Thanks." I say.

"Yeah. No problem." I look around. Not another soul in here but us.

"Where is everybody? I ask. It's odd seeing this place empty.

"It's…Saturday. Where my employees are on their days off is none of my business."

"Ooh! Weekends off? Do they get full medical and dental, too?" He chuckles dryly.

"Why are you here?" He asks.

"I was _trying_ to visit Paine. But I got waylaid." He furrows his brow and scratches his chin. This is my cue to continue justifying myself.

"I got as far as this side of the Moonflow, when I discovered that the shoopuf isn't running because he got his foot stuck in some ruins or something. Anyway, I didn't have a chance to go anywhere else before this damn storm hit. The shoopuf should be well enough to cross the Moonflow tomorrow, but in the meantime I…need somewhere to stay."

"Hold on, I'm still trying to process that Paine accepts visitors." He's got a point.

"Well, it's true, and I'm one of them. So can I stay or not?"

"What makes you think I have anywhere for you to stay?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that this is the only building in a fucking _10 mile radius_!"

"Whoa. Calm down." He laughs. "There's a spare room over there." He points to the right side of the stairs. "It's small, but if you're only here for a night you should be okay."

"Thank you." I walk over to the room and open the door. Small? Yes. But it's not so bad. I was expecting cobwebs and skeletons of hookups past. I put my bag on the floor next to the bed. A few minutes later, Gippal comes in.

"Here. Just give 'em back tomorrow." He says, handing me one of his shirts and a towel. Oh jeez. Now I'm borrowing his stuff, I'll never live this favor down as it is, even without borrowing his stuff. What else am I gonna do, though? I'm soaked.

"Oh, great! Thanks," I say, surprised.

"Yep. Sure thing," He says, closing the door behind him, on his way out.

I towel off my hair as well as I can before changing into the shirt and the driest pair of shorts in my bag. I lay all my clothes from the bag out on the floor to dry. Luckily, the CommSphere survived because it was in the bottom of the bag, covered by everything else. I didn't wanna take any chances with that. I wipe my eyes. This won't be so bad, if I don't let it. Spend a night, give him his stuff back, and be on my merry way; that's all I have to do. The worst part will be telling Paine about it, and probably Yuna too. They're such meanies. I can be civil though. I can at least try.

I feel so dumb right now. How are we- am _I_- supposed to kill time? I can't just go to bed. I'm not tired, and even if I was it would be sorta rude. Stupid rain. Stupid shoopuf. (Not really, he's too cute.) I can't believe I'd ever say I was thankful to Gippal, but here I am.

I walk out into the main sanctuary and sit on the stairs. He's in his room with his back to me for a second until he comes out and joins me.

"So, what do you do for fun around here, all by yourself?" I ask. I'm not in the mood for icebreakers, but I'm in even less of a mood for awkward silences.

He shrugs.

"I dunno. I go to Luca sometimes. Sometimes I stay here and just chill out and wait for people to knock on my door. Sometimes it's the pizza guy, sometimes it's Cid's Girl." He smirks at me. I sigh for the millionth time since I got myself into this.

"I have a name." I've said that to him so many times I can't muster up the venom to go with it anymore.

"Yeah, yeah," He says. "So why are you going to Paine's, huh?" Why is he so interested in my life? Get your own. Damn.

"I'm just doing some traveling. That's all." I really don't feel like going into "This is my journey and I have to make my own path, blah, blah, blah." I'd never hear the end of it. I'm just not feelin' it, and I don't owe him any explanations anyway. Luckily that seems to sate his curiousity about my plans.

"How's Cid? He doing okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Getting crotchety in his old age, I guess, but he's fine." Gippal laughs.

"He's always been crotchety."

"Yeah, but you haven't seen him lately! Things couldn't be going better at home and he's always barkin' about something," I say.

"How _is_ the reconstruction coming? I've heard some of the guys mention stuff here and there, but I haven't been back for a while." The silent truth: he hasn't been home since the Guado attacked Home in the first place. I know it. He knows I know it. I just nod my head in acknowledgement.

"It's going really well. There have been a couple of accidents along the way, but no one's been seriously hurt. It's going pretty fast too." He seems pleased.

I'm gonna regret giving this much away, but whatever. It's better than silence. "That's part of the reason I'm traveling, actually." He raises his eyebrows. "There is _literally_ nothing left for me to do there. There are almost too many people working. We have more people going out on digs than there really should be. I won't bore you with the details though, you know how all that works."

"Yeah. Sure do." He crosses his arms, nonchalantly. "So you just said 'See ya? I'm going on vacation?'" Here it comes. I knew I shouldn't have given any scrap of a reason for my being here. I won't be making that mistake again.

"No. I just have some things to attend to," I say, trying to be as vague as possible.

"Aww, Cid's kid's growing up on me."

That's it. I'm done.

"Yeah, Gippal. I am. I'd say you're falling behind. Quit making fun of me and catch up." By the look on his face, I see I've caught the chink in the armor. I'm not sure if I'm sorry or satisfied.

"Sorry, Rikku. I didn't realize saving the world twice in a row qualified you to be an expert on everyone else. I'll really try to do better, considering _I'm _the one who let _you_ in from the rain, and into _my_ home and business. My mistake."

"That wasn't how I meant it and you know it." I guess I can see how he thought it was though. Wording is a bitch. "All I meant was that I'm not a kid anymore, and neither are you. I didn't think it'd be too much to ask to stop being treated like one. _My mistake_," I say mimicking his tone. His face softens a bit.

"I'm just messing with you. That's all it ever was." He pauses. "We used to be friends." 'Used to be' being the operative words in that sentence, of course. I can't get into all of this now. I'll have to save it for any other rainy day but this one. I rest my head in my hands and rest my elbows on my knees and sigh.

"I'm sorry. I just…I'm tired. I'm stressed out. My plans are shot to hell. I just have some things that I'm dealing with. I'm not gonna bore you with them, but there it is. I didn't mean to sound like I'm not grateful, because I am. He sits next to me on the steps, but we're not touching.

"Wanna wait on the pizza guy with me?"

I guess I can try to give this "being civil" thing another shot.

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><p>AN: Aha! He finally appears. And why is Rikku so pissed?

Rate and review! Thanks!


	6. In Which Paine is a Therapist

**The Joker and the Thief**

Paine and Rikku spend some quality time with a bottle of wine. Only emotional confusion can come of it.

Thanks to those of you that favorite and added this story to their alert lists! :D

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Paine's place is <em>huge,<em>" I think to myself as I sit in her kitchen. I've finally made it here after spending the night in Djose. Mr. Shoopuf was in tip top condition when I got to the Moonflow this morning, thankfully. I got here a little less than an hour ago, and we're about to meet Baralai for lunch. I'm honestly a more than a little excited about seeing Paine in love; for one, because it's _Paine_ we're talking about, because it's easier to picture Brother with manners, and for two, because that means that maybe I'll get to see a totally different side of her. Love changes people, so I've heard.

"You ready?" Paine asks, as she comes into the room. She'd gone to get her jacket.

"You bet!" I say. We leave her apartment and begin walking down her street. It's bustling with people and noise. I mean, Luca is big, obviously, but Bevelle is in an entirely different league.

"How was Djose?" she teases.

"Awful. And weird. But mostly awful." She lets out a quick laugh.

"You'll have to tell me all about it tonight. Looks like Baralai's already here." I am relieved as she opens the door to a small café. I hadn't noticed him, but I see now that he's sitting by the window. He stands up when we come in and immediately hugs Paine and kisses her cheek. I know it's hard to believe but trust me, it's adorable.

"Rikku, how are you?" He asks as me as we sit down.

"I'm great! How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. Can't complain." He sneaks a glance a Paine as she looks over her menu.

The waiter comes to take our drink orders and then leaves. Apparently, Paine has already told Baralai my plans, because he asks, "So what kind of trouble are you two getting into tonight?" He laughs. Paine smiles and is quick to reply.

"We haven't decided. It might be the kind that looks like my wine rack." I'm all for that if she's going to want to hear what happened last night, but instead, I laugh.

"Who knows?" I ask. Baralai chuckles but doesn't press further.

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><p>After lunch, (that Baralai paid for, because he's the most perfect gentleman ever), I asked Paine if she would show me around Bevelle. Baralai couldn't come along because he had all kinds of Yevonite stuff to take care of back at the temple, apparently.<p>

We don't go too far, we stay pretty close to the vicinity of her apartment and the café. She shows me her favorite armory and where she buys her coffee, although not at the same place, which is a shame because it'd be so convenient. All sarcasm aside, I discover a lot about Bevelle. I ask Paine if she knew that Yunie was born here.

"No, I didn't know that. I was too, not that that means much in a place this big."

"Well, she was," I confirm, "When her dad went on his pilgrimage, Kimahri took her to Besaid. When Yuna started her pilgrimage, Wakka and Lulu were sort of like her parents but siblings at the same time."

"That explains so much. I mean, I never really wondered, but since you brought it up that all makes much more sense."

"Well I realized we didn't learn each others backstories while we were doing the Gullwing thing…at least, not until almost after the fact." Paine laughs.

"Yeah, I'll say." I'm glad to see that the Crimson Squad is behind her. I know it must have been a heavy burden on her.

"Lets go home" she says, eventually. "It's starting to get pretty cold out here. There's also wine to be had and dirty laundry to be aired."

"Oh my gosh. You're dying to hear about last night."

"I just think it's funny. I'm not remotely surprised that you would get yourself into a situation like that. It's just your luck."

"You are _so_ right," I say, as we begin walking back towards her apartment.

Once we get inside, we take our coats off and hang them by the door. We walk back into her kitchen and I sit down at the bar. Across from me is the sink and more counter space in front of a _huge_ window overlooking the courtyard of her apartment building. It's starting to get dark.

"I didn't say it earlier, but I really like your place. I think it suits you."

"Thanks. I like it. The rent's not bad for the size and neither is the location." I nod in agreement. She walks to her fridge and pulls out a bottle of red wine and some cheese. She goes to a cabinet and pulls out some crackers. She sets all of these items on the bar.

"This is so classy. I'm so excited," I laugh, half serious. Paine laughs as she pulls a knife from a knife block on the other side of the kitchen and puts it on the bar with the other items.

"Oh, we need glasses," she remembers.

"We could just go without, and up the sophistication factor."

"Shut up," she says jokingly, as she pulls two wine glasses from a tall cabinet. She sets them down as she sits across from me at the bar.

"Begin," she says authoritatively. That's the Paine I'm used to. She begins pouring the wine. I squirm in my seat, uncomfortably.

"Where should I start?" I ask.

"From the beginning." She looks up at me, mid pour, "I want to know how you know Gippal in the first place in order for having to bum the night in Djose to be so awful. _Then _I wanna know what happened last night. In other words, _everything." _She hands me my glass.

"You sure know what you want," I say, taking a sip.

"Baralai doesn't seem to mind it." I almost choke.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Quid pro quo, missy!" I exclaim. She sips her wine to hide her smile.

"We'll see. This is payback for every time you've ever badgered me about anything," She says.

"Fine. Alright, where to start? You said you want to know how Gippal and I know each other?" She nods.

"Well, as I'm sure he made you more than aware, he's an Al Bhed. That in itself would probably qualify since Pops is our leader and everything, but there's more to it than that," I say grabbing a cracker and some cheese.

"Gippal, Brother and I used to always play together when were really little, and probably up until…whenever it is that you stop playing. Pops and Gippal's dad were really close friends, but since Gippal's parents' relationship was always a bit on the rocky side, Pops always sort of looked after him, both as a favor to Suuno, Gippal's dad, and because Gippal was like the sane son he never had, not that that's really saying much." Paine raises her eyebrows in agreement. I take a sip of wine.

"I guess when we were little, we were the two kids that the grown-up always cooed over because they all thought we were gonna get married someday or whatever. He and I both knew better though. We were just friends. We'd never dated or anything like that, and as you could probably guess, he's always been a huge flirt anyway, and since I'd grown up with his brand of 'charm', I saw through him pretty easily. We all hit puberty and it was like a bullshit switch went off and he just turned into the cocky idiot we know him to be today."

Paine laughs because she knows its true.

"It's true, though! We hit thirteen and fourteen and I just couldn't stand to be around him anymore. We stayed that way for a couple years," I say, sipping my wine. Paine listens intently.

"Then what?"

"Then, late one night, I'd almost fallen asleep when I got a knock on my door. It was Gippal. He told me he was coming to say goodbye. I asked him what he meant, but he wouldn't tell me. He had his stuff over his shoulder and I knew that meant that he was leaving right _then. _He gave me this big hug and kissed my cheek and he was gone. I know that sounds so melodramatic, but that's what happened. That was pretty much more interaction than what we'd had in roughly a year before that.

Of course I later found out that he was leaving to join the Crimson Squad. He'd left in the dead of night so that no one would try to stop him, I guess. Then when the Guado attacked Home, I saw him on the airship, but I wasn't sure if he saw me. The ship was so crowded and we were having to deal with fiends, and the whole thing was just a mess. But at least I knew he was okay. At that point, I still had no idea where he'd gone. I didn't know what the Crimson Squad even was until you came along."

Paine looked into her wine glass, "We were such kids then," she says, as if the thought had never occurred to her before.

"I know! I mean, that was right before I went with Yuna on her pilgrimage. I was just 15. It's sort of strange to think about now. Anyway," I say, trying to get back on track, "seeing him in Djose was the first time I'd spoken to him since the night he left. That was almost three years, Paine, and he acted like nothing ever happened. I know nothing _happened_ happened, but he just acted like, like our friendship wasn't even important enough to acknowledge anymore. Make sense?" I have to pour myself more wine.

"It makes sense," Paine says. She's got both elbows on the counter. "Did you want something to happen?"

"What? No. I just don't know. I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. We're not at that place anymore, and I'm not really sure if we ever were. He was my first kiss when I was like six, but that was about as far as it got."

"I see," she says, "So what happened last night?"

"I made myself look like a complete bitch, thanks for asking," I say sarcastically. Paine snorts into her glass in a very unladylike manner.

"Really?" She asks, recovering. "How so?"

"Well, after I'd talked to you, I made it to Djose right as it started pouring. I banged on the door, and he let me in. and that was where I made my first mistake by making some jab about how I didn't see anyone working…and then he reminded me that it was the weekend, so I basically accused him of being a terrible boss, but he let it slide. He then led me to the room he was going to let me stay in, and he brought me dry clothes. I didn't ask or anything, which sort of weirded me out because I wasn't expecting him to be that nice. Then afterwards, I pretty much blew up at him after he called me 'Cid's Girl', like I'm some little kid. You've been there when he's done that, you know what I'm talking about. I didn't mean to blow up at him, but I was just so stressed out. He was kind of prodding me about why I was traveling and I didn't want any grief from him about it and instead of diverting him," I pause, trying to think of the right word, "detonated on him, then he got all insecure and made some comment about me having 'saved the world twice', and it was just this misunderstanding and completely disasterrific. But, I apologized."

"And then what happened?" Paine asks, before eating a cracker.

"Here's where it gets weird, Dr. P.: He was genuinely nice to me after that."

"Well, what's so strange about it?"

"It's just his attitude, I guess. He's just so damn cocky, and sometimes just mean."

"But you say you were friends?"

"More like by default, with our dads and everything. I mean, like I said, when we were little, we were nearly inseparable, despite him being mean to me. There probably wasn't a single day of our childhood that he didn't push me down." I look past Paine into the bright lights of Bevelle's night life. "But he always helped me back up," I say quietly.

"Sounds like you have some majorly conflicting emotions," Paine says, wiping her eyes.

"I know I do, and I don't know how to fix them."

"And Gippal's the only one that can help you there," she says. I roll my eyes. "So what happened after he was "nice" to you?

"Well, apparently, before I'd showed up in a sour mood, he'd ordered a pizza, and when it arrived we shared it over completely neutral small talk. I felt kind of bad for taking his food, but he offered, and I hadn't had anything, so I just went with it. He kept joking with me the whole time and I don't know if it was for my benefit, or if he'd lost the ability to talk like a normal person with a normal sized ego."

"I'm thinking you might be being a little hard on him."

"Maybe I am," say, "I mean, you've technically spent more time with him in the past few years than I have. What was he like when you guys were in the Crimson Squad?"

Paine leans back in her chair and sighs as she thinks.

"Loyal. Loyal is probably the first thing that comes to mind. He would have taken a bullet for any one of us," she says. I'm sort of surprised, but on the other hand, not really.

"I'd say he was pretty funny, but he knew when to be serious too. He was good at staying focused. He's clearly ambitious, and yeah, he does have a big ego, but I think it's just for show." I nod my head and consider what she's saying.

"I wonder if maybe he treats you the way he does because, since he hasn't seen you in so long, he probably subconsciously thinks you're the same as you were almost 3 years ago."

"That's deep, Paine," I say. She grabs the empty wine bottle.

"I didn't get this out for nothing," she says, smiling. I giggle.

"I guess that's a possibility," I say, getting back on topic. "He's just so hard to read, sometimes." Paine nods her head.

"So where did things finally end up last night?" I blow a strand of hair out of my face.

"After the pizza and small talk, I guess you could say things were at least semi- okay. We went our separate ways. When I woke up this morning, he was already up, so I packed up my stuff, told him goodbye and 'thanks for the shirt', and left. But, naturally, I left something there, so on my way back to Luca I have to pick it up."

"What was it?"

"It's this journal, notebook type thing, where I'm writing about my travels and whatnot."

"Does he know you're staying in Luca?"

"No, most of our small talk was about Home, and how everybody was doing, and blitzball stats, things like that. Nothing personal really, I didn't want to get into it since that was part of why I blew up at him to begin with." Paine nods in understanding.

"Well, here's hoping things go better when you have to stop back by there," seh says, raising her glass. I raise mine too.

"Here's hoping."


End file.
